Dreams Entwined
by FreeSpiritSeeker
Summary: Sesshomaru's new servant is quite unusual. Can she be the one to teach him how to love?
1. Chapter 1

Dreams entwined with only half-remembered memories. Sora awoke still curled tightly against the warmth beside her. A sudden jarring of the wagon made her open her eyes. The soldier she was leaning against smiled at her with open invitation. She kicked out at him as hard as her chains would allow. The winds still seemed to whisper, "Sorako. Sorako."

She remembered very little of her childhood after her parents were killed. She remembered only fire and flames licking at her small body, the heat unbearable, and she unable to escape. Then a pair of strong arms wrapped around her, holding her close to an equally strong chest. They carried her away from the flames and placed her on the ground in front of the burning hut. Enormous tears crept down her cheeks as she watched the ancient hut burn to ashes, waiting, waiting, waiting for her parents to come out.

They never did, and the people of the village sent her around, each family taking her in for a short time until they could no longer stand the unblinking, joyless face of the four year old. Finally they sent her to live with the old witch-woman who lived on the outskirts of the village. The old woman's hut was in deplorable conditions. The thatching had come loose and there were great gaps in the roof where sunshine or rain filtered through. Rats had eaten away at the wood of the doors and cupboard. When they were lucky, someone in the village would leave fish and rice on the doorstep. When they weren't lucky, they went hungry except for what little Sorako could scrounge from the village's dumping pit. Occasionally she was able to find a nice big bone to boil in a pot of water for broth.

When she was 15, Mori, the old woman, died. Once again, Sora was alone. She lived in the hut by herself for almost five years before anyone bothered her. Most of the villagers thought her mad, because she almost never spoke. But she was smart. She had constantly followed the village priest around, learing to read and write while he taught several of the village leader's sons.

Just a few days after she turned twenty, the village was ransacked by a rampaging army. They cut a swath of death through the village; burning, raping and killing were their game. They gathered the remaining young women and children, including Sora, into the center of the village and had them watch as their menfolk were killed and their homes burned to the ground. They were shackled into long lines and marched into the nearest large city. There they were seperated, the children sold as slaves, most of the women sold to houses of prostitution, only a few of them held back for special buyers. Sora was one of the few held back.

The soldier continued to grin at her and Sora cursed the chains that held her hostage against the wagon's side. A few of the other women groaned and moaned as the wagon slipped and slid over the rocky, mud-covered earth. It had rained the night before, making the journey even more unbearable. The air inside the wagon had become hot and humid, making it hard to breathe. Added onto the smells of unwashed human bodies and soaked wool and fursthe wagon stank.

A sudden loud CRACK startled everyone and the wagon began to jerk and roll. Everyone inside the wagon was thrown violently from side to side, back and forth, several of the women started screaming. The driver began shouting loudly at the horses and the wagon rolled to a slow stop, jouncing over rocks and holes in the earth.

The leader, Uzo, began shouting orders and soon the soldiers begain unchaining the captives from the wagon and instead chained them to each other. Once again, they began hiking through the woods, their simple kimonos sodden and mud-streaked. Soon they came upon a large palace, the home of one of the demon lords who ruled these lands.

The leader looked over the ragged group of young women and sneered. "Down, all of you, down. Sit there and don't move." Exhausted, they all obeyed, even Sora, who had become a known troublemaker. Sora wandered over and sat underneath a sakura tree that was just beginning to shed it's petals. A fine rain of them floated over her kimono, sticking where it had become dampened by mud and water. She leaned back and rested for a short while, dozing slightly, waking whenever the air stirred around her, chilling her slightly.

A movement from the castle woke her. A tall man with silvery-white hair that flowed almost to the ground along with his sakura-printed yukata robe was walking towards the group of women and soldiers. A young woman was by his side, her hair deep brown and curly, her kimona a pale coral color. The man began speaking with Uzo and pointing at some of the young women.

Sora closed her eyes, knowing that Uzo would never allow her to be bought by this man, he was saving her for an especially cruel master. He was saving her for his own lord, Naraku. While they talked, Sora took a stick from the ground and began writing in the dirt. First her own name, Sora, which meant "Sky." Then others, Keiko, Yuriko, Sayurifriends who were now sold away, never to be seen or heard from again.

A movement made Sora jerk her head up. The young woman who had come with the castle-lord stood over her. "Hello." The girl-woman said brightly. Sora placed the girl's age at around sixteen, just a few years younger than she was. Sora just nodded, tense, knowing that if Uzo saw her speaking with the girl that she would be beaten. Suddenly the castle-lord was beside them as well.

"Look, Sesshomaru-sama. She can write even better than you." The girl said, grinning up at the man. Sora lowered her gaze, staring at the ground until his clawed hand gripped her jaw and forced her to look up. She was amazed at his eyes. They were golden, like her own.


	2. Chapter 2

Sesshomaru grabbed the front of her kimono and pulled her to her feet, gazing deeply into her eyes. The only other he had ever seen with eyes to match his own was his useless hanyou half brother InuYasha. He took Sora's face in his hand, turning her head this way and that examining her.  
"I'm not a damned horse, you know," She blew up at him. Then instantly wished she'd stayed silent. His eyes took on a crimson tinge and she shivered. He dropped her onto the ground and called to Uzo. "I want her," He said simply.

Uzo tried to protest, but Sesshomaru would not hear it. "You are on my land. I could kill you all where you stand. Give her to me and you have free passage over my land. For now." Sesshomaru said simply and grabbed the back of Sora's kimono, lifting her to her feet and prodding her toward the castle.

A short while later, Sora found herself in a hot bath, surrounded in scented bubbles and being scrubbed from head to toe by a maid. The woman dunked her under the water and Sora came up sputtering. "Are you trying to drown me?" She screeched as the woman vigorously began scrubbing her hair. Sora winced and then was dunked again as the woman rinsed her hair. The woman motioned for her to stand and when Sora did, wrapped an enormous piece of drying cloth around her.

She sat Sora in front of an enormous fireplace where the heat began to dry her hair. The long strands began to curl as they dried, and two silvery streaks began to show in the otherwise dark hair. The woman stared but said nothing, she just began combing Sora's long hair and then braided it simply down her back.

She handed sora a pair of pale blue hakama pants and a plain white yukata, the only ornamentation a crimson dragon design stitched along the sleeve cuffs, hem and collar. The woman then gave Sora a pair of plain soft indoor tabi to wear and escorted her to Sesshomaru's office. She knocked lightly on the door and then seemed to disappear, leaving Sora alone to await his answer.

"Enter." He said. When she opened the door, he was sitting behind a large table that served as his desk. On it was a book, a ledger of his tenants and lands, the taxes they owed him and that he owed the Emperor. He motioned for her to sit, when she did he handed her a sheet of paper, an abacus, an inkwell and brush and a list of figures. He waited while she added and subtracted and came up with a sum. He checked it and nodded. Her work was tidy and neat, the sum correct and she worked as quickly as he did. Within a short time, they should be able to correct the errors his last steward had made.

Now he really looked at her. Her skin, now that it was clean, was clear and pale. He was slightly surprised at the eyes and now the silver streaks in her hair. She was actually quite pretty now that she was clean. He thought for a few moments and then spoke, his voice quiet yet commanding.

"You are here to be a companion and teacher to Rin, my ward. You will also help me here in the afternoons with the accounts. Now, tell me, where did you learn to read and write? It is not a quality found often in such small insignifigant villages."

Sora lowered her gaze. "No, it is not. I was an insignifigance to my village. No one cared where I went as long as I was not underfoot. As a small child, I often would hide in the temple while the priests taught the village leader's sons. When they found me, they would simply move me out of the way. One day, one of the priests, Akio, found me writing some of the calligraphy that he'd taught the boys earlier that day. Mine was already better than theirs, and he began to teach me in private in his spare time, allowing me to use paper and ink from his own stock. In time, my calligraphy rivaled that of even the Emperor's assistant. I know this to be true, I have seen his work many times."

Suddenly there was another knock on the door. Unhappily, Sesshomaru granted entrance. The young woman stood there waiting. Sesshomaru's eyes suddenly softened just a bit. "Come, Rin, and meet your new companion. Rin, this is Sora."

Sora stood and bowed to Rin. Rin giggled lightly. "May Sora and I go to the gardens, Sesshomaru-sama?" Sesshomaru thought for a moment and then nodded, he could finish his questions later.

Rin grabbed Sora's yukata sleeve and hauled her out the door and down the stairs to the gardens. There the two young women sat and spoke about their lives. It was amazing how similar and yet different they were.


	3. Chapter 3

Sora made her way through the castle hallway and hopefully back to her own room. The castle was so big she'd gotten lost twice already. She heard footsteps behind her so she glanced back to find an overly-muscled guard following her. Something about him made her uneasy, so she kept walking instead of asking him to escort her to her room. Suddenly she was slammed into the stone wall and the guard was hulking over her.

"Let go!" She yelled, trying to kick at him. "Hey, baby. How bout you and me having some fun?" He said, his voice a deep croaking. When she looked into his face she found out why. His face was dark pea green and covered in warts and moles. He was a hanyou toad demon. He grinned at her, showing a long, slime-covered tongue.

He pressed his very prominent erection into her belly and she gasped. She panicked and began kicking and smacking at him, screaming at him to let her go. He smiled evilly and licked her cheek, then leaned forward and whispered in her ear all the things he was going to do with her. He began to drag her towards a vacant room.

"What you're going to do is release her. Immediately." Came a voice out of the shadows.

Gold eyes glinted as Sesshomaru moved into the light. The edges of his eyes began to glow a deep red and the red began to creep toward the centers of his vision.

The toad-man paled suddenly and Sora, gasping for breath ran for protection behind Sesshomaru. "Forgive me, Sesshomaru-sama. I was lost and"

"Quiet, girl. Rin, return Sora to her room." The demon lord commanded. Rin, who had been hidden behind Sesshomaru's vast prescence, took Sora's hand and they walked away, Rin keeping Sora from looking back.

The hanyou's screams followed them down the hall.


	4. Chapter 4

Sesshomaru paced while waiting for Sora to arrive. It was their time in the afternoon to work on the accounts. He suddenly stopped in mid-stride. **What am I doing?** He asked himself. **Why am I all knotted inside waiting for her to get here? She's a human. I don't care about humans!** He thought. "What about Rin?" His conscience nagged at him.** Rin is different. Rin is an innocent, Rin is **"A Human." He finished aloud.

He growled at himself. The little girl had endeared herself to him from the beginning. She was always so bright and cheerful, no matter what his mood, and never complained, even when he was at his worst. Never had another human gained his heart like Rin had. "Never?" His conscience nagged. **NEVER.** "Are you sure?" He began to think backthen he remembered.

_Almost a year before he had become Rin's warden. A burning hut on the outskirts of a village he had visited to collect taxes. A tiny child's voice crying for her parents. He had entered the burning building and found the parents dead. The little girl had been hiding under a platform bed. He had tossed it aside and picked up the child. He'd been surprised that she was still alive, the fire had seemed centered around her, but had not yet touched her. He had taken her outside and placed her on the ground in the care of the villagers and had returned to his camping area where Jaken had food prepared for him. He hadn't thought of that night in years._

A knock on the door brought his thoughts back to the now. "Enter." He half-growled. Sora entered the room, her eyes downcast. "Forgive my lateness, Sesshomaru-sama. I got lost. Again." She said quietly.

Sesshomaru looked at her, really looked at her for once. She was tall for a human, she came to his shoulders. Her hair was dark and glossy, except for the two long silvery-streaks. Her eyes were golden and flecked with a deeper gold. Her body was definitely that of a woman, that was evident, even wrapped in a heavy kimono as she was.

A flash of heat seared through him as he continued to look at her. It had been a while since he'd had a woman. **Don't even think it, she's as young as Rin! **His mind-voice rebuked him.

He got his body under control and sat next to Sora at the desk. She was already hard at work, her fingers flying over the abacus as she added, subtracted, multiplied and divided, figuring the daily accounts. Her scent wafted on the breeze from the open window and Sesshomaru's body tightened in response.

**Just how innocent is she, I wonder?** He thought. He closed his eyes and then stared at the girl. As if she sensed his thoughts and felt his gaze she began to slow and looked up at him. She blushed and looked back to her work. She finished a sum and looked at him again. "Finished, Lord Sesshomaru. Do you need anything else before I go?"

"No. Leave. Now." He growled, standing and walking towards the window. She nodded, bowed and began to leave. Just as she was in the doorway he called to her. "Girl. Sora!"

She stopped in her tracks and looked back. "Come here." He said. She walked to him, head down and stopped in front of him. "Look at me." He said, and she raised her head, her odd golden eyes reflecting the sunshine from the window. He grasped the back of her head and pressed his lips to hers. Her eyes widened as he watched her face, then she closed her eyes.

He used his tongue to force her mouth open and deepened the kiss. She didn't protest, didn't resist, but didn't participate either. He drew back and she opened her eyes. "Why?" She gasped. But he didn't asnwer, just left the room, leaving her in shock.


	5. Chapter 5

Sora stood by the window in her room. It had been almost a month since Sesshomaru had kissed her, and he had avoided her like the plague since. In fact, the very next morning he had left to do a check upon the villages for their quarterly taxes.

He had left orders with one of his soldiers. Sora and Rin were not to leave the castle, and no one was to be given entrance. Sesshomaru ordered the great gate closed and it was not to be opened until he returned.

Rin and Sora spent much of this time together, both on lessons and having fun. They spent many hours in the great gardens, digging into the earth and coaxing herbs and flowers to grow. Sora designed a special healing-herb garden, as she had learned from the old woman who had taken her in. The woman had been somewhat of a healer, living alone as she had, she often could not get to a doctor. She had taught Sora many of the old remedies before she had died.

Sudden shouting brought Sora back to the present. She ran down the stairs of the building and to the front gate. She opened a panel to reveal who was on the otherside. She was surprised to find two young women, a monk, a young fox youkai and a young man with dog ears and silvery hair like Sesshomaru's standing before the gate. The young man with dog ears was bleeding from several wounds. "Open the gate!" She shouted to the guards.

"We're under orders not to open the gate to anyone, Miss." The soldier reminded her. "Fine, I'll do it myself, then you can honestly tell Lord Sesshomaru that you obeyed his orders!" She shouted at him, and pulled open the latch of the gate, then pushed it open. "Quickly, come with me." She said, hurrying to help the injured man. He snarled at her. "You smell of Sesshomaru."

"Yes, you're in his home." He stiffened and growled. Then turned and tried to stalk away. "Come on, Kagome. We'll find help somewhere else." He stiffened suddenly and was pulled to the ground as the young woman said, "SIT!"

Sora simply stared at the strangers. "You need help InuYasha, and you're too hurt to walk anymore. I don't care if this is Sesshomaru-sama's house, she offered you help and you're going to take it!"

"Feh!" Said InuYasha and he grumbled and growled but eventually compromised by allowing Sora to treat him as long as they stayed outside Sesshomaru's palace. Sora had the soldiers quickly build her a large tent from long thick tree branches and oiled canvas to keep out moisture if it began to rain.

While Kagome helped, Sora pulled off InuYasha's shirt and winced when she saw his wound.  
She packed the wound with clean cotton soaked in Sake to keep the wound from becoming infected. InuYasha screeched bloody murder when she applied the cotton but allowed her to bandage the wound. By the time she was done and was sure that the bandage would not come off and was bound tightly enough, it was dark. The others bundled themselves into sleeping bags, but Sora designed a type of cot to keep InuYasha from off the ground so that no dirt could get near his wound.

Exhausted, Sora pulled off her clothes and slipped into bed without pulling on a sleeping kimono. The minute her head touched the bed, she was asleep. Several hours later she was awakened abruptly by a hand wrapping itself around her throat.


	6. Chapter 6

Sora's eyes flew open and immediately her gaze was caught and held by a pair of golden eyes so like her own.

"Sess-hom-aru-s-s-sama." She choked out. He let loose of her throat and grabbed her by the arm and pulled her towards a window. She grabbed a sheet as he pulled her from the bed, trying to cover herself. He flung open the shutters of the window and pointed at the tent in the courtyard.

"What is the meaning of this!" He shouted so loud that her ears rang. She was still sleep dazed, so he took both her shoulders in his hands and shook her.

"They-He-was hurt my Lord. They asked for sanctuary. I didn't th-think you'd mind offering sanctuary to an injured t-traveler." She said, her teeth chattering as cold air from the window swept over her sheet-clad body.

"Well I can assure you, baka, that I certainly do care. Especially THESE travelers. You will go and send them away, now!" And he threw her towards the door.

"I-I'm sorry my lord. I c-can't do that. One of them was injured severely, he could die if he loses more blood." She immediately dropped to her knees as he stalked towards her.

"Do you deny me, woman?" He asked with a deadly icyness to his voice.

"Forgive me, Lord Sesshomaru-sama. But please, in this, I must deny you." She stared at the floor.

She heard a growl and tried not to cringe. "He goes as soon as he is healed. And never again will you deny me, or defy me." He rasped out, then stormed from the room, slamming the door behind him. She heard a latch click closed and found that he had locked her inside.

She curled up in her bed and began to weep. After he had saved her from being raped by the lizard-youkai, she had begun to think of Lord Sesshomaru as a protector, but when he'd awakened her so harshly, he'd frightened her as she'd never been so frightened before.

Her weeping soon quieted as she drifted off into sleep again and dreamed.

_Hot hands roamed her air-chilled body, and her body responded. Her body shuddered with each new feeling, then arms wrapped around her and sweat-dampened hair lay across her breasts_

Sora woke suddenly, blushing as she realized the dream had been of Sesshomaru. She lay back on the bed, one arm thrown across her eyes. Sleep did not come again and she lay awake until dawn.

Little did she know that Sesshomaru also had dreamed of the same and he too awoke with a start, only to smirk suddenly and return to his own dreams.


	7. Chapter 7

The next day was beautiful, sunshine glowed over the land. Sora moved carefully through the hallways, very aware of the prescence of so many extra guards in both the castle and on the grounds. Sesshomaru was very upset with her and had ordered guards to watch every move of the strangers carefully.  
She carried her medicine bag with her, a stiff leather box dividedinto partitions for different medicines with a strap to go over her shoulder. She had made it herself years ago, when learning from the old woman.

She walked towards the tent and found Kagome waiting for her. She was surprised to see InuYasha sitting up and started for him, when she saw that his wound was healing very well, faster than a human would heal. He smirked at her and she felt a shiver flash through her. That smirk was very like Sesshomaru-sama's.

Kagome watched and listened as Sora changed the bandage on InuYasha's wound, and Sora explained to her what herbs she was packing into the wound to help it to heal. She wrapped some of them into a packet and handed them to Kagome. "Take these, I can get more easily enough. They are good for wounds like his, and you can dampen them and place them on stings and bites as well to draw out the poison."

Sango and Miroku were preparing the noon meal and they all pleaded with her to stay and eat with them. She smiled but declined. "I will be back again this evening to check the wound again, I think that you will be healed enough to leave this place tomorrow. I know you are uneasy staying here." Suddenly Shippo popped up right beside her and she nearly had heart failure.

"Where'd you learn so much about healing, Sora?" The little fox demon demanded to know. Once she felt like her heart would start beating again on it's own, she explained. "When I was a young girl, my parents died in a fire. I was passed around the village, but they found me too odd, and sent me to live with an old woman who was a bit of a healer. When she died, I had to learn for myself. Can't heal if you don't know about the healing. So I taught myself."

She pulled aside the tent flap and said her goodbyes, then hurried into the castle to prepare for lunch with Rin and Sesshomaru. She slipped into her seat just as Sesshomaru entered, giving her a chilling glance before sitting. "I trust your guests are doing well and will soon be leaving?" He practically snarled at her.

Her face went white with fear. "Ye-yes, Lord Sesshomaru. I think he-they'll be ready to leave on the morrow." He nodded and began to eat. For as long as Sora had been there, she had never once seen him eat cooked food. Rin told her once that Lord Sesshomaru had told her that demons had no need of human food. Sora thought it better not to think on what he actually ate.

Sora had listened with fascination when Rin had told her the story of how Rin had found Lord Sesshomaru after his half-brother had injured him severely. And had gone on to explain how he had retrieved her soul from the soul-bearers and returned it to her body after her village and she herself had been attacked by wolves.

Rin had been equally fascinated by Sora's story of her own loss of family and of being saved by the tall stranger who had hauled her from the family's burning hut. Sora was startled suddenly when Rin plopped down beside her on the floor. She looked over at the little girl and smiled. She filled a bowl with rice and handed it to Rin. "Arrigato, Sora." The little girl thanked her before piling some vegetables on top of the rice, as well as some sauced chicken and began to eat.

There was a sudden loud blast of wind as the doors slide wide open from both sides and a figure stood in the center of the doorway. It was the injured young man, InuYasha!


	8. Chapter 8

In a flash, InuYasha was in front of Sesshomaru, standing on the table. With a swipe of his sword, Sora's world died as she saw Sesshomaru's head fly from his body. Sora screamed and so did Rin, before her scream too, was silenced by InuYasha's blade. Sora sat rooted to her place in fear as InuYasha stood before her, his blade held high, stained with blood. He stood woozily and suddenly she saw the strings that controled him. He grinned evilly and lifted the blade above her head and it came slashing down as she screamed again.

Sora woke with a start, her heart thudding so hard against her chest it made her ill. She hurried to a bucket in a corner of the room and began heaving. Unfortunately there was nothing for her to throw up, which just made the feeling worse. She looked throught the small cracks in the shutters and opened them wider to allow the cool breeze to flow into the room. She stripped out of her sweat-soaked kimono and walked to the basin that held cool water. She used a soft sea-sponge to wipe her body down with the cool water and then climbed back into the bed, with only the light sheet covering her.

But sleep wouldn't come. Every time she closed her eyes she saw Sesshomaru's headless body and Rin's wide eyes. Finally the sun rose and she wrapped herself in a fresh kimono and walked to the dining room. Rin was already there, but Lord Sesshomaru was not. Rin was slurping away at a bowl of hot miso soup filled with thinly sliced wakame (seaweed) and small cubes of tofu. The food smelled wonderful and Sora sat down to eat as well. She scooped up some of the miso into her soupbowl and placed a small amount of rice in another.The first taste of the miso was heaven and silky-smooth on her tongue.

As she dipped up a second spoonful, a blast of wind blew the doors wide open and she choked on the miso. She looked at the front doors with horror-filled eyes but nothing was there. The guard closed the doors and latched it closed. "Excuse me, Rin." She excused herself and left the room, looking for Sesshomaru. She found him in his office and knocked lightly on the doorframe.

He looked up and nodded when he saw her. "Come in." She walked inside, bowed and sat across from him on a cushion in front of the low table he used to hold his papers and scrolls. He handed her some papers filled with accounts and she quickly began to do the sums, correcting them on a new sheet of paper. They worked quietly together until a knock on the door frame broke their silence. In the door stood a servant holding a tray of food and tea and Sora was surprised to see that it was already noontime. The woman placed the tray on the table.

"Sesshomaru-sama?" She said quietly.

"Yes?" He asked, looking up from the small cup of tea she had poured him.

"I had a terrible dream last night and I'm afraid." She said timidly, afraid that he would laugh at her.

"It was a dream, girl. And you are safe here, you need not fear for your life."

"It is not my life I fear for, my Lord. In my dream, it was you and Rin-chan who were killed. By the young man, InuYasha. But it was not his fault." She said quickly, seeing the anger growing on his face. "He was being controlled somehow. I saw thin linesstringlikealmost like spider's strings holding and using him. And he killed Rin-chan and you in front of me before turning to me and killing me as well." She blurted out.

He sneered and nodded. "NARAKU." He spat out.


	9. Chapter 9

**"Who is Naraku?" Sora asked.**

"Evil. A worthless bastard intent on collecting shikon shards and becoming more powerful. He has not been heard from for a long time, not since Rin was a child. He tried taking her from me once, using a minion of his, but I found her and brought her back. You do not need to worry about him. Now, tell me more about your dreams," He said.

Sora blushed, thinking of the last dream she'd had of Sesshomaru. She couldn't bear to tell him the truth, so she told him instead, "I-I dreamed of you-your gardens my lord, in full bloom. The Sakura trees were in full bloom and You were standing underneath them, watching a dancer with a black fan painted with pink Sakura blossoms."

It was partially the truth. The entire truth was that _**she**_** had been the dancer. And the fan was the only thing she'd been wearing, while the soft, scented Sakura blossoms fell around her.  
The dance had been erotic, and Sesshomaru had occassionally reached out and dusted the blossoms from her shoulders or breasts in order to kiss them, working his way up to her mouth.**

Sesshomaru watched her blush. She was unaware that he had dreamed with her, yet again. He had begun to think that perhaps she was a dream sorceress..or at least half, perhaps the human half was why she hadn't learned to control it. Or perhaps it was because she'd had no training. He watched as she became more and more restless.

"Come." He said, standing. She followed him outside and to the tent where InuYasha and his friends were. Sesshomaru opened the flap and allowed Sora to step inside. Her medical bag was already there, as was Rin, who was speaking with Kagome. Kagome was explaining that she'd had Kaede weave a spell for her that would keep her, and her friends here, young until they could find all the shikon shards and defeat Naraku.

Sora removed the bandages from around InuYasha's stomach and the would was healed, in part from his demon blood and in part from her healing herbs. There was only a small scar to show that there had ever been a wound.

"Good. You are healed. You can leave now." Sesshomaru stated simply. He looked over at Sora. "I kept my promise. Now you must keep yours." He walked back into the castle.

Sora's mouth dropped open. Kagome and the others wanted to know what exactly she'd promised Sesshomaru in return for allowing InuYasha to stay here. "If it's something you don't wish to do, tell me now and we will take you with us." Said InuYasha.

"No, it's nothing like that." She said, her cheeks stained bright red. "I simply promised not to defy him again." 


	10. Chapter 10

**Sora waved goodbye to her new friends as they walked away from the castle gate. Kagome, with help from InuYasha, drew her a map to Kaede's village in case she should ever wish to visit. The sun was beginning to set and a cold wind had picked up, bringing dark clouds with it. Sora wrapped her cloak tighter around her and hoped that the InuYasha gang would make it to a good shelter before the storm broke.**

She sighed and headed back into the castle as the wind picked up more, nearly blowing her cloak off of her. She stood and watched as some of Sesshomaru's soldiers began to take down the tent that Kagome, InuYasha, Sango, and the others had occupied. The wind whipped the tent lashings out of their hands, and the canvas rippled in the harsh gusts. Sudden loud thunder rolled across the sky.

"Sora!" Rin called. She turned and saw her friend hurrying towards her, carrying a bouquet of forget-me-nots and violets. Thunder began rolling towards them in waves as to the north, bolts of lightning were flung from the sky to the earth. The wind whipped up, sending the grass rippling like waves. Almost immediately rain began to fall in sharp, icy needles. "Leave that!" Sora called to the soldiers. "Get out of the rain!"

"That's all I need, cases of pneumonia to treat!." She said, mostly to herself. The soldiers hurried to do as she said, leaving the canvas to flap in the wind. She heard a sharp snap and then a yell as one of the ropes snapped, sending a large wooden stake through the leg of one of the soldiers. "Oh gods!" She screamed. She turned to Rin. "Get Sesshomaru! And bring me my bag!" She ran towards the injured soldier.

She tore off her cape and tossed it over the man, who lay shivering in the icy rain. The other soldier's milled about, wanting to help, but unsure how. Suddenly Rin was by her side with her bag. She flipped it open and pulled out a packet of herbs. She grasped the wooden spike and pulled with all her might. She heard a sickening sucking sound as it pulled loose. The wound was straight through and luckily, clean. She poured the herbs over the wound and wrapped it as quickly as she could.

The other soldiers lifted the man and carried him to their barracks. A hand on her shoulder had her lifting exhausted eyes upwards to Sesshomaru's face. She tried to stand and fell forward into his arms. "Stupid woman." He said. He nodded to Rin, who grabbed Sora's bag and they made their way inside the castle. "Rin, go to your room, get out of those wet clothes and into the onsen until you can stand the heat no longer. Then put on fresh warm clothes and report to the cook. She has been instructed to give you hot soup and tea. After that, you are to go directly to bed and stay there. Understood?"

"Yes, Sesshomaru-sama!" The girl said, and hurried off to do as he'd said. Sora tried moving to get him to set her down, but he just glared at her and she stopped fidgeting. He carried her to her bedroom. He sat her on her feet and pointed to the chest that contained extra clothing. She pulled sleepwear, a haori top and hakama pants in plain white from the chest.

"Come with me." He said, and led her from the room and into his private quarters. There she found he had his own private onsen. It had been built onto, the bottom was snugly fit with wooden boards and had shelf-like seating. Blushing, but without being told, she stripped off the icy cold wet kimono and slipped into the hot water. She began shivering immediately and dunked under the water.

When she surfaced, Sesshomaru was in the water as well, leaning back against the hard wooden back of the seats, his eyes closed as if he were concentrating very hard on something. She swam over to a shelf containing sea sponges and different scented soaps. She found one containing a lavender scent and applied it to the sponge and being careful to turn her back to Sesshomaru-sama, she washed herself. She was getting ready to wash her hair when she felt someone slide up behind her. "Allow me." Came his soft voice. But something was wrong, his voice was harsh and his breathing was off-pace. 


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: I'm so very sorry it took me so long to get this posted, a lot of my chapters for this story got lost when i took it off the family computer and put it on my laptop. So I'm having to re-write several of the chapters. Also, I know that in the show/manga Sesshomaru only has one arm, but in the story he has two, it's just easier to write it that way. I can't remember if he'd only had one earlier in the story, but from here on out, he has two. I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Sora watched as his clawed hand reached past her and scooped up some of the lavender scented soap. The steam from the onsen obscured Sesshomaru a little as he moved, showing only vague flashes of pale skin. Even in the heat of the water, Sora shivered when his hand touched her shoulder.

His hands slid through her hair, tugging gently at the combs that held it in place, loosening it and allowing it to fall over her bared shoulders and into the water where it swirled lazily. He pulled his soaped hands through the strands, his fingers forming a comb that slid through the snarls and tangles. Even through the heat of the onsen, she could feel the demon's body heat behind her.

When his bare skin touched hers, she felt the blood rush to warm her cheeks and prayed to all the gods that Sesshomaru wouldn't see it. And then his arms, as slicked with soap as hers were, slid around her, pulling her against him. She tried not to stiffen, but it was useless. She was unused to being held, especially in such an embrace as this. She could feel his warm breath on the side of her neck, he was sniffing her!

And then he ducked under the water, taking both of them down below and into the heat. The warmth swirled around them, touching them everywhere. It slid invitingly into every nook and cranny of their skin. When they surface, Sora was gasping for breath and she heard Sesshomaru chuckle. She saw the soap suds sliding away from them and closed her eyes, feeling strangely dizzy.

And then Sesshomaru's arms were gone, leaving her strangely feeling their absence. She turned to watch as he pulled himself from the pool, his silvery hair shielding him from her eyes. He wrapped a plain cloth kimono loosely around himself and held his hand out to her. Unthinkingly, she grasped his hand and then gasped softly when he easily pulled her out of the onsen.

She covered herself as well as she could with her hair and her hands, not seeing how his eyes roamed her body appreciatively. She looked around for a kimono, but there wasn't one. And her clothes had disappeared as well. And then she looked down in surprise when Sesshomaru took one of her hands away from where she was using it to cover herself. He pulled her to him, using the other arm to wrap around her and pull her even closer. He wrapped the hand he grasped around his neck and half-lifted her in order to bring her lips to his.

Without a thought, she wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him back with feeling. She didn't see his eyes open once in surprise and then close again. He pulled his face back for a moment and watched as she opened her eyes, a mixture of desire and confusion there.

Still holding her, carrying her as if she weighed nothing at all, he walked from the private pool and into his chambers. A small fire was glowing in the firepit in the center of the room, giving off just enough light to see by. He lowered her carefully onto the padded mat on the platform bed and then slid into the bed beside her. Suddenly afraid, she slid to the very edge of the bed, pressing herself against the wall.

He grimaced and she suddenly became afraid that he would become angry with her. "You promised not to defy me again. In anything," he leaned over and whispered in her ear. His words sent a shock through her. He would use her own vow against her?


	12. Chapter 12

Sora turned to Sesshomaru and gulped, her eyes wide as she slid slowly closer to the dog-demon. She was afraid of him for the first time in a very long time. And yet she somehow trusted him as well. She supposed it was hard not to become grateful to someone who had saved you from an unmentionable fate.

She felt his clawed hand touch her face and looked into his golden eyes. There was a strange glint to them, almost a gentleness that she had never seen before. But also a demanding and desire. Desire for her?

One claw began to trace the shape of her lips lightly before the fingers slid to her chin and drew her face forward. He placed his lips on hers, lightly at first and then with more pressure. And then his tongue was there, seeking entrance into her mouth. Slowly she opened her mouth and felt his tongue begin to massage hers, and her own tongue responded in kind, in a dance that mimicked what would come later.

After a few breathless moments, he pulled back and now she could see a wildness had been added to the other emotions in his eyes. His eyes glanced up and down her body and she no longer worried about her nakedness, though she was sure that all the blood in her body suddenly rushed to her face, suffusing it with bright color.

A strange sound came from Sesshomaru's throat, somewhere between a growl and a laugh. And then his hands were on her body, covering her breasts, his thumbs brushing the nipples and sending her mind spiraling out of control as they drew into stiff little peaks. Her breath began to come in gasps as his clawed hands roamed her body, sending sparks and flames of desire roaring through her.

She became aware of a strange sound, a light growling sound coming from Sesshomaru's throat as he pulled her under him. His heaviness frightned her at first, but she didn't allow herself to stiffen this time, instead molding herself to his body. He looked surprised at first but then wrapped his arms around her and began to kiss her in earnest.

She flinched and gasped when he nuzzled into her shoulder and suddenly sank his fangs into her collar. She felt blood trickling down her shoulder before he licked it from her skin with a satisfied smile. He touched her face gently with one clawed hand. "I'm sorry," he whispered before he plunged without warning inside of her body.

She shrieked at the pain of his invasion, her body clenching tight at the unexpectedness of it. After a moment, the pain passed, to be replaced by a strange building pressure inside her as he began to move. He began thrusting himself inside her, gentle at first, then faster and faster. The pressure built until she thought she would burst…and then she did, her body sending shockwaves of pleasure through her, radiating outwards from her core. Sesshomaru rose above her, his face a strange mixture of pleasure and a grimace. Suddenly he shouted in release and she felt him spasm inside her, releasing his seed deep within her. He collapsed on top of her and they both laid there for a while, gathering themselves. Sesshomaru rolled to his side and pulled her tightly against him, wrapping his arms around her and pulling the blankets up over them.


	13. Chapter 13

Sora woke to broad strokes of lightining flashing in the dark sky. Rain was still pounding on the windows and on the roof. An arm snaked around her middle and pulled her close. She blushed in the darkness as she felt Sesshomaru's warm body next to hers. He pulled the blankets more closely around them.

The only light in the room was give off by the dying embers in the firepit and the blasts of lightning from the sky. The room had become chilled and as she watched, the heavy rain slowly began to change to sleet and then into heavily falling snow. The lightning began to recede. She watched the snow come down,for how long she didn't know, but she fell back to sleep watching it dance from the sky.

When she woke the next morning, it was to a servant piling wood into the firepit, bringing the fire to a high blaze. Another servant was pouring hot tea into a cup for her. "Lord Sesshomaru insists that you stay in bed today. He said you are not to leave this room. If you need anything, you are to send Reika for it. Understand?" Asked the old woman who had built up the fire. Sora nodded and looked over to the younger girl who knelt on the floor beside the platform that held the bed.

"Reika, can you please go to my room and bring me a fresh kimono?" She asked. She was still sore from Sesshomaru's lovemaking and wished to have a bath and soak out some of the soreness. The girl nodded and stood to leave. The old woman suddenly snapped to attention. "You are not to be left alone, Sora-sama." The woman said.

Sora looked at her strangely. She had never been called Sama by any of the servants before. "Why do you call me with a title now, Miho?" She asked the older woman.

"Sesshomaru-sama has chosen you as his Mistress, his lover. That puts your rank higher than that of a mere servant." Miho replied. She nodded to Reika, allowing the girl to go and retrieve the kimono from Sora's room. She sat and placed a few more sticks of kindling on the fire to chase away the chill in the room.

Sora wrapped the blanket around herself and walked to the window and stood transfixed watching the falling snow. Fall had quickly become winter. She could barely believe she had been here for almost a year. Time had passed so quickly. She had had nothing when she'd come and now she had both a friend and lover and people she cared about and who cared about her.

A sudden blast of cold hit the window, sending snow smashing against it. The cold seeped through the blanket she had wrapped around her. She wished she could wrap heat around her like a blanket.

Suddenly she saw a flash behind her, and Miho screamed. Sora turned to see what was wrong and saw only that the blanket was on fire. Miho hurried over and knocked her to the ground, trying to put out the flames. The woman accidentally hit her sharply in the temple and Sora went dizzy and then darkness smelling of smoke and fire took over her vision as she passed out.


	14. Chapter 14

Sora woke up feeling awful. She had a monstrous headache and was terribly thirsty. Strong arms held her in an unbreakable embrace and her head lay against a strong chest. She opened her eyes to find herself in Sesshomaru's arms. She had a flashback to her childhood, a tall man (demon?) carrying her from her parent's home while fire raged around them. A man with golden eyes and silvery-white hair. Could it have been Sesshomaru?

"Gods, it was you! You saved me!" She cried, throwing her arms around him.

"No, woman, Miho saved you, she stomped out the flames." He explained, his voice strangely harsh. Almost-caring…but no, that wasn't Sesshomaru. He was quiet, intense.

"No! When I was a child." Sora replied. "You-you saved me from my parent's burning home! You carried me from the fire!" She said. "I remember now. My mother…she was a dream sorceress and my father-he was a fire demon! I was too little, too powerful, and I called fire without knowing how to stop it. It caught the house ablaze, and I couldn't control it. My father, he only made it worse, he frightened me when he yelled. It flared out of control and caught him and then my mother. And you, you saved me!"

Sesshomaru was more than surprised, but said nothing. This was the child who had pulled at his heart for years. This was the little one he had pulled from a burning building? She had become this stunning young woman… with the heart of a lioness, the wisdom of a dragon and the healing hands of miko? Not to mention the unusual and potent combination of powers from a fire demon father and a dream sorceress mother.

He growled slightly to himself, glad he'd already marked her as his. She would be a formidable weapon if anyone were to try and use her..and could be made useful to Sesshomaru's allies in battle…if she could be trained. And yet, a strange pull from his heart rejected those ideas. He didn't want to use her, he wanted to protect her instead. He pushed thoughts of protection from his mind. He was SESSHOMARU!

He stood and carried her into the steam-filled onsen. She was covered in soot and a large bruise was forming at her temple where Miho had accidentally hit her. The blanket that had caught fire was in shreds hanging around her otherwise nude body. He pulled it loose and unwrapped it from around her. She winced slightly when he pulled at pieces of skin that had burned to the point of becoming shiny. But she remained quiet and steady as he looked her over, only blushing slightly at his scrutiny.

He carefully lowered them into the heated water, almost smiling at her sharp hiss of breath at the heat on her skin. He slowly began to wash away any lingering traces of the fire and any scent of smoke. He kissed her softly, slowly deepening the kiss until she began to kiss him back. Then he pulled away and carried her, both of them still dripping wet, and he placed her on the bed and then joined her there. He made love to her until they both slept, amazing dreams from Sora's mind sliding in and out of his as well.


	15. Chapter 15

"You must learn to control the fire, woman. I can't have you setting my palace on fire every time you're daydreaming." Sesshomaru said, sneering slightly.

Sora grimaced and blushed, embarrassed by the truth of his words. They stood in an open field that Sesshomaru had had cleared down to the dry ground. Servants were busily pouring buckets of water on the ground to moisten it.

"My father had just begun training me when he died When I killed him." Sora said, pain wringing her heart.

"Take your mind back to that time. Remember what he taught you. Everyone, back to the palace!" He shouted, sending the servants scurrying for the safety of the castle and away from his wrath.

Sora closed her eyes and tried to remember. Blackness cascaded over her vision, images like lightning bolts flashing against her eyelids. Flames, flowing from her father's hands and into the ringed firepit. Burned imprints of his hand in the staff that he always carried. His soft voice coaching her as she squinched her eyes closed and thrust her hands out, trying to force the fire out. "Will it into being, daughter. It is not to be forced, but to be willed, coaxed into being."

Sesshomaru watched as her face clouded and then suddenly went serene, calm and clear. Her hands raised and he watched as blue-white fire rained from her fingertips, forming a circle of fire around her that leapt to knee-high.

"Woman, open your eyes." Sesshomaru commanded. She was unable to deny his command and her eyes snapped open. The eyes that opened were not normal and even Sesshomaru stepped back. The eyes were coal-black with no white, pupil or iris showing. Pure black, but wreathed in blue flame.

He stepped forward to help her but the blue-white flames surged around her, higher than her head and began to whirl around her like a cyclone. Suddenly she screamed and the flames began to eat at her, her body incandesced until nothing was left there but a pile of ash.


	16. Chapter 16

In shock, Sesshomaru simply stood there, eyes wide. "Sora!" he shouted, starting for the spot where she'd stood.

A sudden blast of sound and fire sent a shockwave that pushed him back. He blinked; a baby lay in the pile of ashes where Sora had been. As he watched, the baby began to grow, from child to young woman to teenager to woman in front of his eyes. Suddenly Sora stood in front of him, his Sora.

As he watched, her hair began to wave and weave as if in an invisible wind, then from the roots to the tips, it began to change from beautiful blue-black to the red-orange streaked with yellow of fire-flames. Her skin bleached almost white and her eyes the blue-green that fire sometimes takes on when certain woods are introduced to it.

She closed her eyes. All at once he felt the power surrounding her lessen and watched as it seemed to withdraw inside her. The flames gathered into her waiting hands, dancing along her palms before disappearing with a tiny whisp of smoke.

She opened her new, strange eyes and grinned at him. She raised her hands and unexpectedly, flames surrounded them, enclosing them in the field, the flames leaping as high as castle walls. She thickened them, making them the width of three men and tripled the height, making them as tall as seven men.

He waited and watched her explore her new control over her powers.

She seemed to have no trouble keeping the flames going, but as he watched, her face became tight and drawn and her hands began to tremble. As she lowered her hands, the flames dampened down and became smaller before disappearing altogether. Sora sighed wearily and folded herself down onto the ground.

Sesshomaru looked around. The ground surrounding them was baked rock-hard, black and glassy. He saw Rin coming from the castle, carrying a pitcher and two cups. She did a double-take when she saw the changes in Sora, but she handed a full cup to her. Sora sucked down the water as quickly as she could. He shook his head at Rin, he didn't need the drink. Rin sat beside Sora and filled her cup again.

Finally she could talk again. "Now I know why Father always carried a waterskin with him. You have to keep hydrated to produce the flames or it can bake you alive. And your hands hurt. I think that's why he always carried a staff with him, something to absorb the heat. I remember he soaked the staff in water every night, but it always held the imprints of his hand."

She yawned and blushed, then grinned. "And it makes you very tired." She said. Rin stood and helped her up and they both looked at Sesshomaru for permission to leave.

"Go. Rest before dinner. Rin, tell cook to prepare Sora a good deal of roasted meat. She needs the protein." Rin nodded and the two young women made their way to the castle, Sesshomaru following behind. Once inside, Sesshomaru made his way to his library and shut himself inside for the evening, going over ancient scrolls and texts.


	17. Chapter 17

Sora slowly began to recover. She learned to soak her hands in a mixture of cold water and cream, finding that it soothed the burning pain. She could no longer stand to look at her own reflection. Her hair was a bright orange-red, her skin the color of white-ash and her eyes were a strange blue and green mix.

She had not seen Sesshomaru in three days, and she had been shut in her room since then. Rin came to visit every day and they spent their time talking, embroidering fans and with Sora teaching Rin calligraphy, mathematics and poetry. She also taught the girl to read, and they began taking turns reading from books of poetry.

On the fourth day, there was a knock at the door. Thinking it was Rin, she called out, "Enter."

Sesshomaru stood there, his face grim. He stepped into the room and held a book out to her. He sat on the floor beside her as she opened the book. She began to read out loud.

"A fire demon may take on the very appearance of their fiery existence if untrained. However, until their appointed time, a fire demon is often like the phoenix, rising again from the ashes. However, if a fire demon's powers consume them many times, they shall remain ashes."

Sora's head whipped up and she stared at him. I'm endangering not only others but myself when I use my powers?"

"Only when you lose control. I will teach you control." He said. He rose and grasped her by the shoulder. Sora stood and followed him. They ended up in the same field as before, but this time there was an assortment of cooking supplies. Kettles, a flat pan used for baking fish, and even a teapot.

She looked at Sesshomaru questioningly. "We have seen you use your power to it's highest point. Now you will learn to finesse it. "

Servants began to appear, carrying buckets of water, freshly prepared fish, bags of rice and roasts of meat. They began setting up spits for the meat, placed rice in kettles of water, and placed fish on the flat pan.

"Now, first, create the fires, small fires. Then vary the temperature for each one, for the best flame for each dish." Sesshomaru ordered, then sat on the ground and watched her.

She nodded, unsure of how she was going to do this. Well, first thing's first, the fires. She closed her eyes and imaged the heat, the flame. She opened her eyes and saw whisps of smoke beginning to rise from the ground under the kettles and spits, then flames began to curl slowly from underneath.

Her mind felt split into three places as she focused her attention on the baking dish that contained the fish. She imagined a fire that went not only under, but over the first as well, like the surrounding heat of an oven. She watched with pleasure as steam began to rise from the fish, the outside began to blacken. She lessened the heat and waited a few more moments before ceasing the fire there.

Under the kettles of rice, she raised the fire, bring the water quickly to a boil. She walked to them and stirred them carefully. She was beginning to feel her strength begin to wan, so she sat down and rested for a moment.

Feeling better, she stood and checked the rice. Evidently she'd rested longer than she thought, the rice was ready.

Now she concentrated on the roasts. They were already being turned on the spit by a servant, so she sent the flames higher to just under the roasts. The meat began to smell heavenly, the skin crackling and fat dripping off to feed the flames. Finally She could simply feel that enough time had passed and that it was ready.

"Don't stop just yet. " Sesshomaru said, suddenly standing behind me. A servant removed the spit of roasted meat and placed a tea kettle where it had been. "Lengthen and thin the flame, bring it up to just touch the kettle." He said.

She concentrated hard, imagining the flame doing just that, the flame leapt up and thinned to no bigger around than her finger. The flame looked almost as if it were tickling the underside of the kettle. When she saw steam begin to pour from the kettle's spout, she allowed the flame to wind itself around and move along the ground like a snake, leaving burnt marks in the earth at it's wake. Finally she banished the flame and turned to Sesshomaru and smiled.


	18. Chapter 18

He said nothing, only nodded and strode towards the stone gates surrounding the palace. Sora's heart and smile dropped. She followed him quietly while servants gathered the rest of the prepared food. When they entered the castle, he went into his study and she went to follow him, but the door slammed in her face.

She sighed and went to her room. She sat and opened one of the story-scrolls she'd borrowed from Sesshomaru. A light rap on the side of the door brought her out of her reading-haze. "Enter." She said softly.

Rin was on the other side of the door. She entered the room and sat beside Sora. They had become such good friends, it was hard for Sora to remember a time when she hadn't felt a tug of kinship-sistership-to Rin. Suddenly Rin burst into tears! Shocked, Sora gathered the girl into her arms. "What's wrong, little sister?" She said, rocking the girl.

"I think I'm in love!" She cried.

Surprised by Rin's words, she held her at arm's length. "What? Who? Why is this such a bad thing?" She asked.

"His name is Kino, and he's a taijiya, a demon-slayer. Sesshomaru will never approve!" She cried into Sora's neck, her tears wetting Sora's kimono.

"Oh, heavens! That does present a problem." A light knock at the door nearly had her screeching. "Come in!" She managed as politely as possible. It was Reika, with a tray of tea and food.

She placed it on a low table beside Sora and bowed before leaving.

"Thank you, Reika. Please bring another tray for Rin-chan." Reika nodded and left. Sora took the teapot and poured a cup for Rin. "Drink. And we will think of some way to solve this." She said, handing the cup to Rin. "Drink it, Rin." She ordered when the girl simply stared into the cup, sniffing and wiping at her tears with her free hand's kimono sleeve.

Startled, the girl did so. Sora went to a chest and opened it, bringing out her bag of healing supplies. She pulled chamomile and peppermint and a plant whose name she didn't know but whose leaves were as sweet as honey. She placed them in her mortal and ground them well before adding them to the tea. She poured another cup for Rin.

"Drink this, it will calm you." Rin drank it, looking warily at Sora, trying not to make her yell again.

Sora sighed, upset at her own quick anger. "Forgive me, Rin-chan. I'm not angry with you, but with your guardian."

"What has Sesshomaru-sama done now?" She asked, a giggle in the back of her throat.

"I suppose it's my own fault for expecting too much." She said, and sat back down next to Rin. "We finished the lesson you witnessed earlier, and I expected, oh, I dont know, a least some sign of approval. I got nothing, not even a lift of his brow. He simply turned and walked away."

Now it was Rin's turn to sigh. "He always has been a very stubborn man..demon. But not inhumane. He has a heart, he's just buried it very deeply, Sora-chan. He thinks that if he builds a wall around his heart that he cannot be hurt. He doesn't realize it hurts him worse to bury it than to let it free to love someone."


	19. Chapter 19

The sunlight was dazzlingly bright, the breeze fresh and cool as Sora sat under a still-bare cherry tree. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of heat on her skin. Soon she began to doze, and in her sleep, she dreamed.

Sunlight danced on a swiftly-flowing brook, that ended in a small but deep pond. The pond was surrounded by bushes full of flowers. A bare spot on the ground was covered by a man's white kimono and hakama pants. Suddenly the still water of the pond was broken by the rising body of Sesshomaru.

He swam back and forth in the pond with swift, sure strokes, breaking the water with almost no splash. His body was strong and lean, all muscle with no trace of fat. His magenta demon markings were a strong contrast to the otherwise paleness of his skin.

When he finally ceased his swimming, he sat on a rock that formed a type of bench, allowing his chest to be above water. His silvery hair floated around him in the pond. He leaned backwards and allowed the sun to bake his skin for a few moments before walking to the edge of the pond and gathering his clothing.

He walked naked along the pathway towards his castle, the breeze and the sun drying his skin and hair. He stopped to pull on his hakama and draped his kimono loosely over himself, leaving it open to flutter in the breeze.

Suddenly he spotted something in the orchard and walked towards the bare trees. He spotted Sora asleep under the cherry tree and walked over. She was sleeping deeply and he was surprised at the sudden pang that hit him hard, he didn't wish to wake her, wanted to watch her asleep and peaceful. He sat down beside her and was amazed when she practically crawled into his lap, laying her head on his chest.

Sesshomaru closed his eyes and buried his hand into Sora's loose hair. A great feeling of true peace filled him, something he had not felt since childhood, and even then, rarely. Sora whimpered in her dream and clung tighter to Sesshomaru. He wrapped his arms around her and murmured nonsense to her until she sighed and her hand searched until it found his, and grasped it, pulled it to her lips and kissed it.


	20. Chapter 20

That peace would soon be shattered. One morning as Sora and Rin worked in the garden, they were interrupted by shouts and the sounds of blade against blade. They took off running towards the courtyard where they found Sesshomaru standing over a young man. The young man was on his back, sweating, holding his sword above him to block Sesshomaru's blade from cutting him in half.

"Kino!" Rin cried and ran towards him. Realizing this was Rin's young lover, Sora ran towards Sesshomaru. But he was not paying any attention to anything but the boy in front of him, who he was determined to destroy. So Sora did something she never in her life imagined she'd do. She threw herself on top of Sesshomaru, knocking him to the ground and kissed him.

For an instant, Sesshomaru warmed to the kiss, then Sora heard his growl and was thrown off of him. "Sesshomaru-sama. Please don't!" Cried Rin, on the ground in front of Kino, sobbing pitifully at her beloved's every small cut and bruise. Absolutely shocked by the betrayal of his young ward, the child of his heart, Sesshomaru went absolutely ice-cold on the inside and turned and walked into the castle.

Sora spent the afternoon cleaning and bandaging young Kino's wounds and then left him and Rin together to talk. She made her way to the great study, where she knew Sesshomaru would be. She didn't knock, merely slid open the door, slid it closed behind her and took herself within two steps of him and then bowed before him, pressing her forehead against the floor in the lowest form of obeisance she could go.

Startled, Sesshomaru raised her up. She kissed him lightly and then was startled herself when he pulled her into his lap. He pulled her close, her head resting on her chest and she could hear his heartbeat. She felt like a small child again in his powerful embrace.

"We have to speak of it, Sesshomaru-sama." Sora said quietly, shifting in his lap to look at his face. As stoic as he pretended to be, she knew that he was hurting, and could see the pain in his eyes. She searched his face for any other sign and found nothing. "I do not wish to speak of it, woman." He said and stood, lifting her as if it was nothing.

She made him set her down and leaned against him, her face against his hard chest, his arm around her shoulders still. "She loves him. She was afraid to tell you. She loves you, Sesshomaru. She didn't wish to hurt you. I guess that when she didn't respond soon enough, Kino came to find out why. I understand you're upset, angry, even disappointed. But Rin is a grown young woman now." Sesshomaru looked down at her.

She smiled faintly at him. "And you can't say she's still a child. She's as old as I am and you've claimed me for a lover." He grumbled for a moment before speaking. "I will think on this matter. He will meet with me and offer for her, but he must be worthy of her. After all, she is the ward of this Sesshomaru."


	21. Chapter 21

Three weeks later, Sora sat beside Rin, helping her into her wedding apparel. She helped the girl steady herself under the weight of the headpiece and formal kimono. Her hair had been brushed and oiled, pulled tightly into a bun and secured with carved gold combs. The wedding outfit consisted of a shiro-maku (shiro-white, maku-pure), a beautiful white kimono over which the Uchikake kimono would be placed after the ceremony. Rin's Uchikake was a beautiful sea-green, embroidered with a glorious mountain scene. Sora and Rin had worked on it together while they waited for Sesshomaru and Kino to come to an agreement on Rin's dowry.

Finally the day of the wedding arrived. Sora and Rin climbed into the beautifully carved wooden coach that Kino's family had sent to for him to escort his bride to the shrine in. From all four corners incense burned in gold-leafed censors and the interior glowed with polished wood and cherry-red silk seat-cushions and carved window coverings. Kino climbed onto a lovely high-stepping Imperial-white horse named Snow-on-the-mountain, a gift, he claimed, from the Emperor himself for ridding the palace of a deadly water-demon.

Soon they were on their way. Sesshomaru would meet them at the shrine, first he was to meet with the emperor and deliver the news of the wedding of his ward to Kino, a highly unusual match for a Demon-lord's ward or child to marry a demon exterminator.

Rin and Sora chattered to themselves in the coach while waiting to reach the wedding temple. Rin was as nervous as any prospective bride would be, anxious that her new mother and father-in-law would be pleased with her demeanor and dowry.

Slowly Sora noticed that She and Rin seemed to become quieter and quieter and that the trip seemed to be taking far longer than it should. She suddenly realized that the incense had become thicker and heavier and carried with it a different scent, and that the windows were now covered with heavy wooden shutters instead of the open-air carvings.

She began choking on the smoke and tried to open the shutters, but they were shut tight and blocked from the outside. She tried to open the coach doors but they too were locked from the outside and no matter how she banged on them, they stood fast. She tried to kick at one of the panels but was too weak to put any real force behind the kick. She noticed Rin had slumped over, a glazed look to her eyes.

"Rin! Rin! Listen to me! Listen to my voice, come back Rin. Rin! Rin!" She shouted at the girl between fits of coughing. Her vision went blurry and she felt as if her spirit was trying to leave her body with the smoke. Colors and sounds mixed and whirled as the smoke filled the carriage. Sora's vision went black as she closed her eyes and allowed the smoke to put her under consciousness.

A few moments later, the top of the coach lifted off, allowing the opium-smoke to clear quickly. The man called Kino looked down into the coach at the sleeping women. His master would pay handsomely for the two young women, both belonging to his enemy Sesshomaru, one daughter and one lover.


	22. Chapter 22

Sesshomaru stood overlooking the temple shrine where Rin's wedding would take place. Disgust overtook him as he saw the burned-out building, the bodies of the slaughtered priests and the stink of fear on the air. A strange feeling, one he recognized only slightly as fear struck him in the gullet, and he quickly quashed it. Rin and Sora were still alive. They both bore his marking and his scent and no one would threaten them and live to tell about it, it was known throughout his land. Only one had ever dared to think he could get away with threatening anyone on his land and he'd guaranteed Sora she was safe from him.

Annoyance and anger bubbled inside him, and was sent to a roiling boil when a stranger on a horse rode up to him. He beheaded the man before he could speak, scenting Rin and Sora upon him. He bent and took the scroll from inside the messenger's haori. He unfurled it with a shake and knew what he'd thought was true. HE had taken his women. His child and his lover. And he would make him pay.

A glowing light surrounded him and within the blink of an eye, he was traveling fast as light, faster than sound and to the location the map on the scroll had indicated. When he arrived, he found Rin and Sora both sleeping deeply behind a spelled cave-opening, the man called Kino lounging in front of it, grinning at Sesshomaru. And beside him, Naraku, for once in his own form and uncovered by the great baboon pelt he used as covering for his own purposes.

Suddenly Kino stood and Rin appeared in his arms, wide awake and struggling. He held a knife to her throat, a strange, strangled laugh bubbling from his throat. Sesshomaru saw the madness, the insanity, there in his eyes and wondered how the boy had managed to hide it from him for so long, then looked at Naraku and knew that he'd used magic to hide it.

He stepped forward to destroy the boy and take back his ward when Sora appeared in Naraku's arms. Still dazed from the opium, her vision was glazed, but not her mind. "Such a strange-looking female you've chosen, Sesshomaru." Naraku said, stroking Sora's fiery-orange hair. Sora growled at him and he backhanded her to the ground.

The shock of the pain cleared the last of the opium from her mind. Sesshomaru's hand began to glow a sickly green and his eyes tinted a deep crimson at Naraku and Kino's handling of his women. Sora looked at Sesshomaru and motioned for him to save his energy to rescue Rin. Before they could act, an arrow shot out of nowhere, it's crystal tip glowing a pure purplish-white. It struck Kino between his eyes, killing him instantly. Rin dropped to the ground, screaming and crying, crawling away from his body.

Seemingly from out of nowhere, InuYasha, Sango, Miroku, Kagome and Shippo appeared at the edge of the surrounding forest. Kagome already had another arrow strung and ready to fly from her bow. Kino's body suddenly turned to dust and Shippo ran forward, out of Naraku's reach and snatched up a small piece of crystal.

He tossed the crystal to Kagome, who quickly added it to the others in a small bottle on a chain around her neck. The crystals glowed for a moment before flashing a bright purple-white and forming into a small orb. "The shikon-no-tama!" Naraku exclaimed.

Because he was still holding Sora, no one could attack him. He sent forth a wave of deadly miasma and it wrapped itself around the bottle at Kagome's throat, choking her and pulling the bottle forward. Realizing how much power the tiny jewel would give him, Sora exploded into action.

"Sesshomaru! I love you!" She cried out, before turning to face Naraku and placing her hands on either side of his face. She saw in his mind the image and fear of fire, as he'd once been badly burned. She wrapped pure white fire around the both of them, immolating them in mere moments. In less than a few seconds, both of them were nothing but mere ash.


	23. Chapter 23

Sesshomaru sat straight up in the bed, sweat glistening along his body. He'd dreamed of her again. As he had every night for the past four months, since the day she'd saved Rin and every other creature inhabited by the evil malignance of Naraku.

Sesshomaru stood and walked to the opened window and stared outside at the moon. The wind whispered to him, cooling the beads of sweat that dotted his bared chest. He stared at the cherry trees, just beginning to gain their pale blossoms. He could not believe it had been four months since she'd gone. The winter, though short, had been horrid, filled with icy winds and blinding snows.

Both he and Rin, whose heart was still healing from the betrayal of Kino, had locked themselves away, giving themselves time to grieve. Once a month, he returned to the cave, and let his mind drift back to when they'd been happy, for such a short time. The last time, Rin had come with him, and even Jaken who grieved in his own grating way, had come along. Together they had planted a lone young cherry tree sapling, which they had lashed to Sora's walking stick. It had still held the imprints of her hands.

Sesshomaru sighed and felt restless. He felt the need to leave the castle. In his current state of mind, he decided to visit the tree he'd planted for his love. He pulled on his clothing and tied his swords at his waist then within an instant was a glowing ball, flying instantly towards the cave.

When he arrived he was surprised. Someone was already there. A little girl, maybe ten years old, was sleeping under the tree. Her hair was long and tangled and she slept deeply, soft snores coming in between deep breaths. A small growl escaped him and the child sat straight up. She was scared and looked around in terror. Sesshomaru stepped forward and began walking toward the girl.

Suddenly he was encircled with flames as high as his head. Shocked he looked down at the girl. In the light of the flames, he could see a long pale streak of silver hair almost hidden within the dirty strands of black. Suddenly the flames went out almost completely and he strode to the little girl and picked her up with his one good arm. Black eyelashes fringed her honey-colored eyes, filled with tears. "I found you!" She cried and threw her arms around his neck.

Suddenly the wind began to whistled around them and she shifted in his arms, limbs growing suddenly longer, body reforming and aging. Within moments she is once again HIS Sora. "Great Gods, thank you for this gift!" He said softly and kissed her. "Take me home, Sesshomaru." She said, happily returning his kiss. He wrapped an arm around her and in the beat of their hearts, they were home again.


	24. Chapter 24

Yes, it is finally finished. I am sorry to all of you that it took so long to finish, but I hope the wait was worth it. I decided that I was going to hurry and finish at least one of my stories on FF! And decided since this one was the closest to being done that I would work on it and finish it. Thank you all for the many wonderful reviews, I hope to see more of you back for my other stories. There may even be new Sesshy stories in the future. Again, I thank you all for the wonderful reviews, they have meant so much to me. Love, Hugs and Blessings to you all!

~J.


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